I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.

I'm sorry once again for the late update, but my schedule is getting hectic and is only to get worse with the next week (senior art show in my school is next Friday, so I'm trying to get more stuff done for it). After that it'll slow down, thankfully. It's because of me being busy that this chapter isn't as good as I would like it to be. It's rushed and, to me, a bit choppy at places (but maybe I'm thinking that because I was half awake when re-reading this last night), but it gets the point across. Perhaps when I have time I'll go back and re-write it.

Thanks for reviewing Chichiri's Wanderer, Crimson Firefox, Everqueen, ladysakaya, Bishiglomper and Maeleana. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the 'hand job' special :)

Chapter 9

The group had split up some time ago and now Miaka, Keara and Nuriko sat waiting for Tamahome to return from where ever he had vanished to with a strange fellow. It was a boring wait and the snow had stopped falling, lessening the beauty of the day.

Keara readjusted her bag on her back as her gaze stayed down the street in their bored fashion. The flare Chiriko had given each of the groups lay in her bag for safe keepings, as well as to stay dry from any snow that might otherwise fall upon it.

With a silent sigh she rubbed her cold ears and looked over to Miaka and Nuriko, who were sitting side by side. Miaka smiled at her and asked, "What's it like to live in the United States?"

Keara shrugged her shoulders and walked up to the miko as she took out her sketch book. Once opened to a blank page she wrote, 'It's nothing too special to me, probably like how Japan is to you.'

"I guess that makes sense," Miaka said, "If you live in a country it's not as big of a deal compared to someone who's never been there before."

With a nod Keara put her book away once again. She could feel the Suzaku no miko's restlessness and she understood why. Tamahome was taking his sweet time on getting back.

"What's taking Tamahome so long?" Miaka asked quietly to no one in particular.

"Who knows," Nuriko said as he looked in the direction the seshi had taken some time ago.

Miaka stood up, "Well I'm going to go look for him."

"He told us to wait here Miaka," Nuriko reminded her, "Who knows, maybe he's heading back now."

"Then I'll meet him," Miaka stepped out from under the small open structure they had been under.

Nuriko watch the miko take a couple of steps before catching glimpse a strange wolf like human jump off the building, claws extended, meaning to take the girls life. "Miaka!" He cried as he ran to her and pushed her to the side, taking a portion of the blow when he failed to get himself out of the way.

The creature was about to strike again when a loud 'pop' was heard and a billow of flame went across the creatures face. It howled in pain and ran away, covering its burnt face with one hand.

Miaka and Nuriko looked over and found Keara with the remainder of the flare in her hands, a look of annoyance on her face. As the mute teen looked to them she smiled, but it turned to concern when she saw Nuriko's wound.

Nuriko, having noticed where the teen's gaze had fallen, said, "It's just a scratch." He gave her a grin, "Quick thinking there Keara."

Keara smiled and blushed slightly. She hadn't been sure a moment ago if what she had done had been a good thing or a bad thing, but now she knew.

Tamahome took that moment to appear. "What happened?" He asked as he ran over to Miaka.

Nuriko made a face at his late entrance, "We were attacked by a Seiryuu seshi."

"Are you alright!" Tamahome asked, though it was directed more to Miaka than anyone else.

Miaka nodded, "Nuriko saved me and Keara scared him off."

Tamahome nodded, "Good. Oh, I found out where the shinzaho is, but it seems the Seiryuu are also looking for it since they are in the city."

"Is Yue here?" Miaka asked almost too gleefully.

Keara made a face, 'Why does she want to meet her enemy.'

Nuriko noticed her look and explained quietly, "Miaka and Yui were the best of friends before they came here and became miko's. After an- event Yui made Miaka her enemy, but all Miaka wants is to clear up any problems between them and become friends again."

'So that's it,' Keara thought, giving Nuriko a nod to let him know she understood.

"We have to contact the others," Tamahome told them, "Where's the flare?"

Keara made an apologetic face as she thought that she had been wrong to think her action to scare of the Seiryuu seshi was the right one. Nuriko covered her though and explained why they no longer had it.

Amazingly Tamahome didn't seem mad. 'Probably because it was used to save Miaka's life,' Keara thought. Tamahome in return told them where the shinzaho was located.

"You guys go look for the others," Nuriko told them, "I'll go look for the Shinzaho on that mountain."

Keara looked to him and got a very strange feeling that she shouldn't stay with Miaka. It was odd indeed, but her instincts told her that staying would cause massive problems. So instead she pointed to herself than to Nuriko.

Nuriko looked at her slightly confused, "You want to come with me?" With the nod of the mute teens head he got his answer. "I don't know…"

"I think it's a good idea," Miaka said with a smile. When everyone looked to her she explained, "The two of you can watch each others backs so that if you get attacked you don't have to be on your own."

"Sounds good," Tamahome said with a smile.

Nuriko nodded, "Alright then. Keara and I will go to the mountain, you guys find the others and follow suit."

"Hai," Miaka said as she and Tamahome turned and ran down the street in search of the others.

"Let's go," Nuriko turned and headed of in the opposite direction, Keara at his side.

vvvv

Ashitare, the wolf like man, kneeled before Nakago. He had just explained what had happened and the Seiryuu general did not seem pleased in the least.

Nakago pulled the whip off his belt and thrashed the injured wolf man twice before giving him the proper threat to assure that he would not fail him again. Ashitare nodded obediently, silently cursing him in his mind. Most of his mind, however, was on the girl who had marred his face and had destroyed his eye.

Nakago would get the girl alive, but how alive she would be he would decide when the time came, for he wanted revenge.

vvvvv

Keara stumbled for what seemed the fiftieth time as she climbed the mountain with Nuriko. Her hands were beginning to go numb and she tried in vain to keep them in her jacket sleeves to stay warm, but every time she stumbled they came out and fell into the snow.

"Almost there," Nuriko told her after recovering from a stumble himself.

Nuriko was correct in what he said, for within ten minutes they were standing on a snowy ledge. They noticed a rather large rock with faint writing and a door behind it pressed up against the mountain wall.

"There it is," Nuriko said with a smile.

A harsh voice from behind them caught them off guard. "Thank you for leading me here," Ashitare said, "Now I shall kill you and claim the shinzaho for Seiryuu."

Nuriko growled and pushed Keara behind him, "I don't think so."

Ashitare's face became very cross and he too growled as he saw the girl glare at him from behind the Suzaku seshi. "You will pay for what you did to me."

Keara stuck her tongue out at him and hardened her glare. 'You deserved it freak,' she thought bitterly.

"Get out of here Keara," Nuriko said between his teeth, keeping his gaze on the wolf man before him.

Keara did not like the idea, but she knew that if she stuck around the seshi would worry about her and inevitably get himself hurt, which was something she did not want to cause. As she took a step back Ashitare charged forward, claws extended.

Nuriko shoved Keara to the side before jumping to the side himself to evade the wolf creature. Ashitare was quick on his feet and turned to pounce on Keara, but she had crawled to the side to evade the initial strike. However she was not quick to her feet, earning a slash across her leg, which would have been much worse had Nuriko not grabbed hold of him forcefully.

The Suzaku seshi struggle with him, but was eventually thrown to the side by the strong Seiryuu seshi. Ashitare did not have much chance to do anything right after that as Keara smashed her foot, not belonging to the injured leg, into his face, causing him to howl in pain.

Keara got to her feet, but as she put pressure on her wounded leg it surged with pain and gave out under her. Nuriko tackled Ashitare from the side as he made to jump on top of the wounded girl and managed to punch him once before getting thrown once again.

Ashitare shifted to his front and used his feet to send him into the air at the injured girl once more. Keara rolled to the side, barely evading the claw that landed a foot away from her head. She made a face and sprayed some of the hair spray she had taken out of her bag not a moment ago into his face.

Once again Ashitare howled in pain and tried to get the stinging substance out of his eye. Nuriko took that opportunity to swiftly punch the beast in the face, knocking him away from the wounded girl once more.

The wolf man rolled on the ground violently as he rubbed his eye painfully. Cries of pain repeatedly emitted from his mouth.

It was during this tantrum that Nuriko helped Keara to her feet and moved her away from the howling beast. Keara winced in pain every time she put pressure on her leg, but never fell since she was leaning on her helper for support.

Nuriko was very worried for the girl as if was obvious that her wound was not exactly small. The area in which she had just been moved from had been turned red from her blood and the wound did not look willing to let up anytime soon.

Not sure at what else to do Nuriko ripped a portion of his sleeve off and used it to make a make-shift bandage for her leg. "I hope this'll hold until the other get here," he mused.

By the time the knot had been tied Ashitare was staggering to his feet, eye red from the both the spray and his immense rubbing he had done. He growled from deep in his throat and charged at them.

Nuriko, who had moved away from Keara, went to intercept him. Ashitare seemed to have been expecting this and knocked the Suzaku seshi down and made to send his claws into his chest when a book smacked into head.

While the book had hurt and made a small trickle of blood flow down his forehead, it did not seem to faze his all that much. It did, however, divert his attention from Nuriko to Keara, whom still had her arm out stretched from throwing her sketch book.

The Suzaku seshi used the diversion to punch Ashitare square in the face. Ashitarewas quick to recover and ran at Nuriko angrily once again, the later jumped into the air to evade. Ashitare responded with great haste and impaled the Suzaku seshi in the back with his claws.

Keara's eyes widened and she gasped. 'Nuriko!' her mind screamed.

Nuriko looked very pained, but managed to get himself off of the beast's claws and break its neck. Shoving the carcass off the ledge he turned and smiled faintly at Keara with one hand over his chest, "At least that's over."

Keara nodded sadly, getting to her feet slowly. She cringed as her leg screamed at her in protest. Nuriko moved over to the large bolder blocking the way. When Keara gave him disapproving gestures he shook his head, "I have to do it. I'm the only one that can."

Before Keara could protest further he lifted the bolder, blood dripping on the snow from his wound, and moved it to the side. He cringed and sighed before walking to Keara, where, together, they walked out towards the ledge to look at the landscape, each leaning on the other for support.

Nuriko sighed, "I guess I won't be around to see Miaka summon Suzaku."

Keara gave him a hug, trying to reassure him. The seshi smiled down at her, "You were really brave back there Keara. I'm really impressed."

From her look Nuriko could tell she was a little confused and felt ashamed for not stopping Ashitare from inflicting the injury on him. "It's not your fault I was hurt. In fact I'm sure that I would have been killed even faster had you not been with me. You definitely covered my back."

At the sad look he amended what he said slightly, "You couldn't watch my back all the time and I couldn't do it for you either. We were both injured for that reason." He smiled, "You'll be able to make it until Mitsukake gets here with that bandage on it. It's pretty bad, but it could have been worse."

Nuriko lost his balance and fell backwards, taking Keara with him. Amazingly she landed at his side and not on top on him. As soon as they hit the ground they heard Miaka and Tamahome cry their names.

''bout time," Nuriko murmured with a soft chuckle.

Tamahome held Nuriko's head in his arms, offering whatever support he could. The injured seshi told them quickly of what had happened before apologizing ahead of time for not being able to help along the rest of the journey.

Miaka told him to hang on, that Mitsukake was on his way, but it wasn't long later that the injured seshi passed on. Miaka cried and ran away, refusing to accept that he was gone.

Tamahome looked to Keara, who had her head bowed as silent sobs racked her body. "It sounds like you two did your best up here. That's the important part Keara. Nuriko gave his life so we could press forward and we will do just that." Inside he too cried, but he would not let the tears fall so that he could help comfort Keara and when the others arrived he would do the same for Miaka. For now he knew that his love needed a bit of space, but he also knew she needed support.

Keara wiped away the tears falling down her red cheeks and nodded. Her sight was blurry from what she thought to be tears, but when she realized how lightheaded she had become she knew the true reason. Nuriko had miscalculate her rate of bleeding, or perhaps the bandage had become loose in her movement. Whatever the reason it matter not, all that mattered was that she was in a dire situation.

There was no time to make it known to Tamahome, as her vision suddenly faded and she passed out from blood loss.

Ack! Blood loss! Will she be healed in time? Or will Keara join Nuriko as a spirit?

Sorry again for the rushed manner of the chapter. I'm going to do my best to evade such a thing in the future, but I was late already with the update and I'm not going to be home this weekend so I felt rushed when trying to type it out.

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